On November 12, on the occasion of the Sustainable Packaging Summit in Amsterdam, organised by Packaging Europe, FINAT had the pleasure to reveal the winners of the 2024 FINAT Sustainability Awards. This competition recognises outstanding work in the label industry to advance sustainability. The awards were handed out by Jonathan Sexton, Sun Chemical, FINAT Board Member and Chair of the FINAT Sustainability Awards Taskforce, Päivi Knihti, UPM Raflatac, FINAT Board Member and Chair of the Advocacy Workstream and Pablo Englebienne, FINAT Regulatory Affairs and Sustainability Manager.

The 2024 edition of the competition, judged by Arno Melchior, Global Packaging Director at Reckitt, Thomas Reiner, CEO at Berndt+Partner, and Fabrizio Di Gregorio, Technical Director at Plastics Recyclers Europe and RecyClass received 28 entries in two categories: Reduction of environmental impact and Optimisation of recycling. The initiatives stemmed from the whole label value chain, covering adhesive formulations, release coatings, metallisation technologies, printing inks, manufacturing and printing equipment, label stock, recycling methodologies and specific packaging solutions.

When asked a comment on this year’s edition Jonathan Sexton, chair of the Sustainability Awards Taskforce, commented: “The high number of entries compared to previous editions demonstrates the high level of commitment in the label community to innovate sustainably and move the industry forward.” Pablo Englebienne, FINAT Regulatory Affairs and Sustainability Manager, concluded: “The variety of topics addressed in the submissions show that there is no lack of innovation in the industry. During the deliberations, the judges were pleasantly surprised with how the label sector keeps pushing the boundaries to produce more sustainable packaging.”

After a thorough selection procedure the jury awarded the following two initiatives:

Category: Reduction of environmental impact

This category focuses on materials, technologies and processes developed to minimise the environmental footprint of labels.

Winner: ACTEGA Metal Print GmbH for ECOLEAF Mindful Metallization

With ECOLEAF, ACTEGA has reinvented the metallisation process by using “on-demand” metallisation. By placing metal plates exactly where they are needed, ECOLEAF eliminates the need for PET carrier film and therefore film reels. This significantly reduces waste and plastic consumption and minimises the environmental impact associated with the production and disposal of these materials. ECOLEAF enables the production of eye-catching metallic label embellishments with a significantly improved environmental profile.

Arno Melchior commented: “This initiative provides a solution to a problem that end-users have had for a long time. Metallisation often makes a product non-recyclable,  however with this method, the metallisation is only applied where needed. Consequently, this substantially reduces the impact of the packaging on the environment.”

Category Optimisation of recycling 

This category encompasses approaches to facilitate the recycling of packaging and to incorporate post-consumer recycled content.

Winner: Henkel AG for Sustainable solution with new wash-off PSA labels AQUENCE PS 3017 RE

AQUENCE PS 3017 RE is a water based acrylic pressure sensitive adhesive designed for olefinic filmic labels used for PET bottles and supporting PET flake recycling. While conventional methods require an energy-intensive, high-temperature process to completely remove labels, the new adhesive offers excellent wash-off efficiency – even at 65°C for PE facestock. This ensures that labels can be easily removed from bottles using less energy, while increasing the purity and value of recycled PET. In addition to being a sustainable solution for olefinic labels (e.g. BOPP & PE) on PET bottles, Henkel provides a food contact statement for AQUENCE PS 3017 RE. The adhesive combines wash-off properties with water whitening resistance, making this an excellent choice for clear-on-clear labels. AQUENCE PS 3017 RE has received recyclability certificate by the renowned and independent cyclos-HTP Institute (CHI). It provides innovative solution to all label producers & brand owners, such as our own Henkel Consumer brands.

Fabrizio Di Gregorio observed: “It is a very innovative solution, because the labels are able to come off at a very low washing temperature. It is a welcome product addition in the market, especially in the Nordic countries. It can also be applied on PET trays.” Thomas Reiner added: “This not only works well in the sorting and recycling streams, it also has a positive energy impact, because we need less energy to wash off the label.”